Cavan Burren awarded Green Flag

Cavan Burren was recognised as one of Ireland's best public parks and gardens with a Green Flag Award.

The 2021 Green Flag Awards were announced today by An Taisce Environmental Education. It is an international accreditation.

Ireland was today awarded a total of 103 Green Flag sites, comprised of 84 formal public Green Flag Park sites, along with 19 volunteer run Green Community Sites.

Today, seven Irish Green Flag sites were also accredited to Green Heritage Accreditation standard. Green Heritage Site Accreditation is awarded to public green spaces of historical and cultural significance - Cavan Burren was not amongst them.

"This scheme is a welcome and important complement to the existing Green Flag Award," Minister of State with responsibility for Heritage Malcolm Noonan.

"The Green Heritage Accreditation widens the pool of sites that can participate in the programme and highlights the multifaceted nature of our green spaces. The scheme brings together the human and natural aspect of a place. It celebrates best practice in engagement with multi-layered heritage and reminds us all of our responsibility to appreciate and preserve richness and diversity of the green spaces that surround us”.

The Minister of State for Community Development and Charities; Joe O’Brien stated that:

“Since 2018 the Department of Rural and Community Development has supported An Taisce with the expansion of the Green Flag into our community run spaces. By doing this we have been able to leverage the Green Flag Award values and standards for the benefit of our communities and their voluntary work.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all of the hard work put in by park staff, and community volunteers, across the country. Not only in achieving this Green Flag Success for Ireland today, but in maintaining the many parks, gardens, and greens across the country for our mutual benefit. It is a great credit that they largely remained open and well managed at this difficult time.”

The Green Flag Awards are judged every year by a peer jury of green space experts, who volunteer their time to visit applicant sites and assess them against eight strict criteria, including horticultural standards, cleanliness, sustainability, and community involvement.

“I think that the collaborative aspect of the Green Flag Award Scheme is of huge benefit. Not only for the free flow of knowledge, experience, and solutions, but also because it builds trust and understanding between community groups and local authorities when they are working together to achieve green flag status for their green spaces ” said Robert Moss, the Green Flag Award for Parks Manager for the Republic of Ireland.